SD Gashapon Warrior NEXT Premier 03

The Gashapon Warrior NEXT range features 24 basic figure sets, a couple of recoloration variant sets as well as eight Premium Bandai boxsets. You will find that while NEXT Premier 03 leans towards the very cheapest of these boxes it is also one of the priciest ones if you decide to break it down per individual figure. The set originally shipped in September 2014, not that terribly long ago (Converge vol. 16 was released around that time), and had a price tag of ¥2600. Today the price still seems to hover around that level as I have picked up several sets paying between ¥2500 and ¥3000 myself.

As usual with these secretive black boxes you will not have any clue what is in store for you inside without prior knowledge or actually opening it up. Thanks to the magic of translation apps we can at least decipher the text on the box to read something like "Gashapon Warrior NEXT Premier 03, partially assembled kit, limited to Premium Bandai" which isn't terribly helpful if you ask me... At least the booklet inside is helpful in offering some assembly instructions and the actual names of this rather unusual trio of mobile suits.

I messed up a bit with the parts shots here since I didn't take any sealed bag shots and I had already built the Kshatriya repair figure so i took it apart a bit to give a better representation of what is actually in the box. It features the same type of articulation as your find in the average NEXT figure.
   

NZ-666 Kshatriya Repaired

The Kshatriya is a majestic mobile suit design but unlike the RX-0 Unicorn it hasn't exactly got a whole lot of exposure in figure form. In part this can be explained by the fact that the Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn television series aired 2010. This has to be considered part of the sunset era of mass produced Gashapon figures. Another cause is of course the comparative size and complexity of the design itself. I can, off the top of my head, only think about half a dozen or so appearances of the Kshatriya in Gashapon or Shokugan form. The Kshatriya Repaired variant itself, is as far as I know only available here or as a 1:220 Assault Kingdom figure (a figure that still sits in its unopened box in my pile of shame I might add...).

Well, super deformed figure collectors rejoice; the Gashapon Warrior NEXT figure is superb. It features really great paint applications, lots of detail, two handheld weapons (well, the Hyper Beam Javelin is integrated into the left arm but the triple Sturm Faust launcher is removable) and it towers nicely over the average NEXT figure. The bulky booster tanks on its back are quite heavy though and no match for the connector joints, so these quickly droop down to the ground but at least act as added support.

Here the Kshatriya Repaired poses next to the Gundam Converge version of the Kshatriya Besserung, which is the middle stage between the full Kshatriya and the field-repaired machine. The NEXT line actually also contains the regular NZ-666 Kshatriya in its very first set from 2010, a figure that I sadly do not own.

   

AMX-101E Schuzrum-Galluss

The AMX-101 Gallus-J is a low-spec urban warfare machine of Axis origin with a rather attractive appearance and a birdlike face. It can be seen in the early stages of Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam where Mashymre Cello bumbles around in one inside the Shangri-La colony searching for the Argama. A truly despicable fate for this proud eagle. Imagine if someone made a The 08th MS Team style series where a unit of Gallus-Js and ZSSAs fought a desperate battle against Earth federation forces in a hellish cityscape. One can always dream, right?

Still, in spite of its troubled first appearance it does have a cameo in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and it also received a couple of lovely variations. I just wanted to add some pictures here courtesy of the Gundam Wiki. From left to right we see the Gallus-J, the Gallus-K, the Schuzrum-Gallus and the Gallus-S. The last design hails from the Advance of Zeta Reboot concept series. Maybe 5-10 years from now as production techniques continue to refine we could see some really crazy beautiful and outrageously expensive 1:220 limited edition figure series. This baby would fit right up that alley.

The Schuzrum-Gallus is a quirky mobile suit concept which sacrifices a thruster backpack and features less armor in exchange for mobility. Even more idiotic is that it carries no weapons into battle except for a pair of knuckle shields and a chain mine; you know that ridiculous weapon featured in a single scene in War in the Pocket. Why you couldn't just give it the simplest of Beam Gun or Saber I don't know. The Chain Mine accessory is here though, and it doesn't really look that cool in SD figure form and is completely static as well. At least the spiked knuckle shields and the two larger Geara Doga-style shoulder mounted shields can be mixed and matched to create your favourite brawler configuration.

Questionable gear choices can always be retrofitted though, and the rest of the figure looks absolutely great. The colour scheme is really on point and the detail on the Sleeves crest on the chest armor is so fine you need to go really close up to notice all the fine detail.

  

RGM-89De Jegan (ECOAS Type) (Conroy Haagensen Custom)

In Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, the Schuzrum-Gallus has a bit of a Kämpfer-moment onboard the Nahel Argama including an altercation with an ECOAS Type Jegan so it is fitting that the last figure in this set is that very combatant. Actually there are so many cool throwaway mobile suits featured in Unicorn that it would have been amazing to see this set expanded with a couple more figures but at least this trio is excellent.

The De Jegan has more of a low-visibility colour scheme but there is just enough detail in the paint applications to make the figure visually appealing, well unless you count the backside which is just all brown. I can't say how much I appreciated little details like the E.F.S.F. logo on the shield for example, when a figure misses such an obvious mark that can drastically increase its appearance and ultimately its appeal.

Haagensen's De jegan features some distinct weapons that differ from the regular RGM-89De. You can find them in this figure as well, such as the beam rifle being replaced with a metal combat dagger and a beam gun attached to the left leg. Even the grenades stored on the side skirts are modified. The dagger comes both as a shiny metallic hand held gear option or sheathed as a dull brown attachment to the left shoulder (the peg is not compatible with the leg mount for the beam gun). Technically the knife is supposed to be stored upside down but I just didn't like the look of it, I guess it has to do with the super deformed dimensions of the figure.

Both the RGM-89D Jegan and the rifle-equipped RGM-89De Jegan are available in the NEXT line, but I haven't been able to find them... :(

The Gundam Converge RGM-89De is an amalgamation of the basic De Jegan with beam rifle and traditional grenade pack as well as the option parts from Conroy's machine. On the right is a regular RGM-89 Jegan from Senshi Forte for comparison.


   

Conclusion

You have no doubt already figured out that I am really into this set. Unusual and obscure mobile suits are a personal favourite of mine and I love expanding the line-up with as many variations as possible and this set delivers in spades. Due to the relatively low price of admission I have picked up four boxes and sold of the spare Kshatriyas and formed up a pair of interesting combat squads. Now if only I could manage to repeat this achievement with some of the regular Gashapon NEXT figures as well...

Banpresto Mobile Suit Gundam Big Size Softvinyl Figure Z'Gok

While we usually concern ourselves with smaller figures here on the blog - that is 1:220 and smaller - the collection also features some MSIAs, Robot Spirits and the like because that's where I need to go to fill my Titans and Z.A.F.T. fixes. Sometimes I also end up with larger figures, mostly because I was curious or wanted to do a comparison with something else. Today's mini-review is shining the light on a couple of Banpresto prize item figures that are definitely on the larger side of the collection.

Yup, here we have a pair of prepainted soft vinyl (or sofubi as it is also affectionately known in Japan) Z'Goks manufactured by Banpresto in 2008 and look like they have been designed for use as prizes in some type of claw machine. The boxes have the typical circular cut outs on the sides which you will often see on this type of prize item packaging.

Most if not all current day Banpresto items feature a five digit product code usually present on all figures contained within a set. These two figures have been assigned the number 45372. The material is apparently ATBC-PVC or acetyl tributyl citrate-polyvinyl chloride, which is a soft and bendy material that easily reverts back to its original shape even though I abused it a bit during my attempts at assembly.

Each figure comes in a thin box with some additional supporting cardboard inside. Notice that the two figures come in various states of assembly and are wrapped in a different number of plastic bags. I don't know if this is a manufacturing variation or if the previous owners may have repackaged one of the figures in a different way.

All of the limbs and bodyparts of the Z'Gok figures are hollow and have a really nice paintjob applied to them. The legs are actually made up by two different components since the upper leg can also rotate within its knee socket. You assemble the figure by jamming the limbs into the sockets in the torso and I had to apply a lot of pressure to manage to squeeze them in, bending the torso heavily during this phase although it easily reverted back into shape. I would not really want to pull the figures apart again for fear of breaking something.

Looking pretty smooth there, Mr. Mass Production Type Z'Gok. The figure features arms and legs that can rotate in their sockets, the upper legs rotate at the knee joint and the torso swivels at the waistline. Even the claws can rotate within their sockets. The eye is of course painted in place and so will not change position.

To give you an idea of the Z'Gok size here it poses next to a 1:220 STANDart Z'Gok (far left) which is about 7.5 cm tall as well as a 1:300 machine from the Strategy of Gundam Gashapon line (far right) and a classic SD Full Color Custom figure. Scale-wise I guess we are talking somewhere around 1:90 or so.

While not a hundred percent accurate in placement the colours on this figure are very vibrant and cleanly applied. The Z'Gok is of course well suited for being made into a sofubi figure with its many rounded and simplistic design features.

And here we have Char's Custom machine. As you can see it is a simple repaint of the previous figure and it has the exact same silky smooth colour apps and presentation all around. I couldn't really ask for anything more here.

You can see a slight deformation on the upper light red part of the torso of this figure. I was worried I might create other deformations of this type when trying to jam the legs into place because the joints on this figure were really not very cooperative. I wonder how well this type of plastic will stand the test of time. I will definitely not keep them out of their boxes unless for some special use. It is a good thing that the boxes are big enough for the figures to fit even in assembled form, although I did have to take out the supporting cardboard and so I replaced it with bubble wrap plastic instead.

Char Aznable from the Bandai Emotive Figure Collection (First Generation set, released May 2006) is looking almost as angry as the Z'Gok itself.

Overall, if you are a fan of the Z'Gok design I think that these two figures are a really nice representation of the machine itself. Given that this is a one-off release though, you may find it hard to come up with other mobile suits of similar size and style to display them with (Bandai's two recent sofubi Gundam and Zaku II figures for example are only about 18 cm tall). The figures are of course also uncommon on the market and not very cheap; I paid about ¥2500 for each of them.

Mobile Suit Ensemble Part 10

Bandai's Mobile Suit Ensemble figure series has been on a pretty strong streak as of late. I can't wait to put my hands on volume 13 although whenever that parcel will reach here is now anyone's guess. With shipping options currently down to DHL sourcing figures in Japan is now also akin to threading a needle. Today's review however concerns itself with a set that came out already in July last year. it took me a couple of months to collect all the necessary components and then I just sat on them for a couple of months because yes, that is what happens when I have to assemble stuff...

The photos above show both the Gashapon capsule edition as well as a random box of the cardboard box edition. While I do prefer the boxed editions since there will typically be less component warping the drawback is that you don't get the nice colourful booklets in the boxes so I usually try to get at least one of each type. :)
   

063 : GAT-X105 Strike Gundam

The figure at the front is of course a Gundam and this time we have the very first representative from the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series. Together with the Freedom Gundam which is an EX figure these are the only mobile suits from the Cosmic Era in ensemble which of course makes me a sad fanboy.

I have added quite a bit of black to the Strike's shoulders, elbows and lower legs and it helps to make an already good looking figure really striking. The yellow paint on the shield is also important. Bandai omitted such important detail on recent figures like the Sazabi and Geara Doga in the MicroWars series for example, and it hurts their appeal a great deal.

Apart from said shield the Strike also comes with its signature 57 mm beam rifle. The figure has some more tricks up its sleeve which we will look at as we continue down the review and we will revisit there again. By the way, notice also the updated sprues for the figure's joints and inner frame that has kind of a rectangular shape about them.

   

064 : RX-0 Unicorn Gundam (Unicorn Mode)

Figure number two is also a Gundam but it didn't get to feature on an Ensemble cover, most likely because it is a pretty bland design. The Unicorn Gundam is easily one of the least eye catching machines with its overall neutral white colour scheme. I guess you could panel line it a lot to bring out its complex armor plating design but bringing in a busy detailed look will also drop some of its distinct personality and appeal. I like it for what it is.

Both the shield and unicorn horn are made from the soft and bendy type of plastic and I unfortunately saw some really bad warping on the two figures I pulled out of their capsules. I moan about it here from time to time on the blog; the Gashapon capsule format is really ill-suited to some types of figures and while Ensemble doesn't suffer as bad as figures like the Gasha Portraits figures no one enjoys a figure that has been significantly bent out of shape.

The Unicorn comes with its least impressive accessory, which is a rather plain beam rifle. We do get some more options in this set but it could really do with a pair of striking red beam tonfas. The Ensemble figures are perfect for them as well; you have a big elbow peg hole where they could easily be plugged in. One of these days I'll try to make some myself...

The Unicorn is now well represented in Mobile Suit Ensemble and its brother unit the Banshee will also get its Unicorn Mode figure in Ensemble Part 13. The only major variant missing now is the Phenex (in either of its variants really) and it wouldn't surprise me to see it pop up as a really expensive EX figure down the line.

  

065 : AMS-129 Geara Zulu

I can't decide which figure in this set is the most appealing to me; the Strike Gundam looks really awesome but then so does a fully decked out Geara Zulu. Being the only mass production suit in this set I was still surprised to see it get such detailed paint applications. Those black and white sleeves were probably rather expensive to apply but man; they really elevate the look of the figure tremendously.

The Geara Zulu is a very successful design upgrade of both the Geara Doga and the Zaku II. It has a very menacing and capable look and the subdued colour scheme also gives it a modern touch. Even ace pilot Angelo Sauper's dark purple machine looks kind of muted when you compare to older machines like the Sazabi or Rezin's Geara Doga. Too bad there isn't an Ensemble figure for it but man, if they ever get around to Ensemble Part 10.5 this set has potential to deliver some really impressive machines. Imagine an Aile Strike Rouge and Sauper's Geara Zulu. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if Bandai went with some useless Marking Plus version of the Geara Zulu in that scenario instead.

The Geara Doga figure comes with a single accessory beyond its shoulder mounted shield although there is a lot of extra gear in the accessory pack. Here we get only the very odd beam rifle that happens to look like a German World War II-era assault rifle and to make it even more machine gun like the authors thought it was a good idea to make it shoot beam pellets instead of beams whatever that is. I don't see why it couldn't just be a regular beam rifle even though they went with some ancient aesthetic choice for it... We'll return to the Geara Doga when we check out the equipment pack.

The Geara Zulu together with two predecessors; the basic MS-06F Zaku II and the later AMS-119 Geara Doga of Neo Zeonic origin.
   

066 : FX-550 Skygrasper

The support craft slot for Ensemble Part 10 is dedicated to the FX-550 Skygrasper which has a very 20th century fighter jet look to it. I guess that is why I love it so much, especially compared to all the ugly Core Fighters out there. There is actually a SEED-MSV design for a space-use Skygrasper, known as the FXet-565 Cosmograsper. While that design is also quite beautiful it seems pointless to create a spacecraft based on the design limitations of an atmospheric fighter. Kind of like looking at a ferry and using it as the basis for engineering a train...

I don't know why but for some reason Bandai thought it was a good idea to make a white stand for this white jet as opposed to the clear plastic normally used for the regular figures. However I have plenty of clear stands lying about so I immediately replaced it never to be seen again. The figure also has this little turret behind the cockpit with a beam cannon that can also rotate 360 degrees.

The Skygrasper figure itself is tiny so there is plenty of room to include the Aile Striker pack in here. This is a high-mobility backpack designed for the Strike Gundam and the Skygrasper is supposed to deliver this gear immediately to the battlefield. I don't really buy the whole point of delivering gear upgrades in the middle of a battle but at least it beats cryptic in-flight G-Armor transformations or that horrible practice of sending out the Impulse Gundam in pieces... The Skygrasper can also utilize some of these components itself.

As most readers will know there are two additional packs for the Strike Gundam; the Launcher and Sword Strike packs but these are sadly not available in Mobile Suit Ensemble (unless Bandai decides to do an outrageously expensive Perfect Strike Figure in the P-Bandai line... hell, I'd buy it). It would have been nice to equip the Skygrasper with the Launcher pack and use it to blast a hole in a mobile suit much larger than itself...

  
   
063 + 066 : GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam

The main gimmick of Ensemble Part 10 is of course the Aile Strike Gundam combination. The high mobility pack can be easily transferred from the Skygrasper to the Strike Gundam and will not upset the balance of the figure that much.

Damn, that's a fine looking mobile suit. Too bad it has no G Project buddies to mingle with on the shelf. I think the chances of seeing more O.M.N.I. mobile suits in Ensemble are kind of low but who knows.
Purchasing two sets of these figures will allow you to display all the four variants next to each other. If I could find more cheap Skygrasper figures I wouldn't mind building a fighter wing as well. :)

   

067 : Equipment Set for Wave 10

As per tradition, volume ten also includes a common parts set with accessories of more or less specific nature. Some parts will be designed for certain mobile suits while other items may be used by pretty much any Ensemble figure based on your own ideas.

In the component shot above one item, the clear beam saber to the far right, is a generic Ensemble staple accessory and you will find one in most equipment sets. You can use it with whatever figure you prefer.

The Strike Gundam gets two optional weapon choices from its own armory. First we have a pair of really basic looking combat knives, or Armor Schneiders, because of course mobile suit weapons have to feature cool German names. The knives are stored inside the mobile suit's legs but i think it would still have been cool if they had some tiny pegs that allowed them to be stored on the outside of the figure's legs anyway. The second accessory is a very large bazooka that fires conventional rounds. It has no dedicated pegs for storing it on the figure and the four magazines sitting in a star-shaped pattern at the back makes it really difficult for the figure to hold it in any believable fashion. A bit of a missed opportunity here since the weapon looks really good. The Strike normally has access to red beam sabers as well so you could use the one included in this pack as basis for such a conversion.

The Unicorn Gundam has to make do with a single accessory item, its very long Hyper Bazooka. In the pictures above I have armed it with two since I had access to multiple accessory packs. If you want more accessories for the Unicorn you can find more than you will find a boatload of stuff in the two Full Armor Unicorn EX figure packs as well. Still, if Bandai would have included a pair of Beam Tonfas in this pack I would have been very impressed.

The Geara Zulu figure receives the most support from this pack and this also answered some of my initial questions as to why there were these strange holes on the figure's body. The parts-set contains four option parts so you can build a squad to suit your personal needs. There is an optional headpiece with Commander Antenna, a spiked reinforcement that attaches to the left shoulder and allows for some close up fighting, beam rifle energy packs that attach to the front skirts and a Beam Tomahawk weapon for close combat. While the "real" Geara Zulu has access to a wider range of support weapons this will still give you a lot of toys to play with to customize your unit.

 

Conclusion

Mobile Suit Ensemble part 10 is another excellent wave of figures for the collection. Beyond difficulty in locating the figures (I think these should be medium difficulty) I guess the main drawback is that there is nothing for the vintage Universal Century lovers here. The two Unicorn suits will work well together with the Banshee, Kshatriya and Stark Jegan (and we are also promised a Zeta Plus in Part 14). Still no Sinanju on the horizon though. The Strike and Skygrasper for their part form a little appendix in the Ensemble line-up together with the Freedom Gundam and its METEOR support craft. I really do hope Bandai will increase the Cosmic Era representation since this feels a bit thin.